Remedy: The time wasn't right for Alan Wake 2

Remedy has explained its decision to develop Quantum Break over a sequel to Alan Wake, revealing that the studio struggled to find funding for a follow-up after the original failed to make a splash on day one, and that "the time wasn't right" for Alan Wake 2.

"The next big game from Remedy won't be Alan Wake 2," said the studio's creative director Sam Lake in a video to fans. "For a lot of you that can come as a surprise and as a disappointment, and I wanted to give a bit of perspective to that.

"After the first game, we worked hard to make the sequel happen. But you know these games are huge undertakings and many things need to fall in place: the right partners and the funding. From the creative perspective it would be awesome if we could just create cool stuff and not worry about minor details like money. But we all know that that's not the case.

"When Alan Wake came out it was not a huge hit on day one. It has been doing really well since then. It's become a cult classic, which is really nice. The Alan Wake franchise has moved more than 3 million copies since, which is a nice figure. But when the game was released that was not the case immediately, and even though we worked hard on it, the sequel was not happening. The time wasn't right for that."

Lake explained that Remedy could have developed a "less ambitious" sequel, "but we felt that wouldn't have done justice to you guys, to us – we want to proud of everything we create – and certainly wouldn't have done justice to Alan Wake."

Alan Wake released on Xbox 360 in May 2010 following multiple delays. A downloadable spin-off Alan Wake's American Nightmare followed up two years later with a greater focus on arcade gameplay.

Microsoft revealed Quantum Break during its Xbox One reveal earlier this week.

The Xbox One-exclusive blends live-action videos with gameplay, and sees the player directing the story by making decisions throughout the game.